Dispatches: 12th Annual Carson David Ianson Quarterpipe Memorial

For the past twelve springs on a snow patch in the state of Idaho, the ‘core’ of the Boise snowboard scene and their close friends have gathered to celebrate snowboarding and the life of Carson David Ianson, for whom the CDI Q-pipe weekend is in memory of. Although after twevle years of this event, while it’s unfortunate that not everyone that attends was given the chance to meet Carson first hand (myself included), it’s easy to get a sense from his closest friends that he was fuckin’ AWESOME!

If you’re fortunate enough to find yourself on this same snow patch one spring in Idaho, here’s a few awesome things that you’re likely to encounter: Corey McDonald, aka One Awesome Motherfucker. He’ll expect that you have a shovel in hand, arms ready for diggin’, a back ready for “the bucket line”, and a leash for your dog. You’ll help make one of the best hand-shaped quarterpipes that you’ll ever ride and then you’ll have one of the most fun sessions “testing” this thing of beauty the evening before the actual event goes down. You’ll stick around a bit later that evening, wondering if a good sunset session might happen. Butm you’ll probably end up heading back down the road to the camp spot, tucked off the road that keeps going deep into the woods. You’ll get a small fire going and cook yourself your campfire food of choice, have a few beers, learn a thing or two about Star Wars that you didn’t know before, and then put on an extra pair of socks before crawling into your tent for the night.

You’ll wake up the next morning, and if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in the right camp site at the right time, you might find the perfect Bloody Mary, aka a Bloody Molly, waiting to accompany your breakfast. You’ll track down the CDI ledger, sign your name into the book, and skim back a few pages trying to catch a glimpse of what you missed in the years past. You’ll see generations of snowboarding, past, present and future, gathering their gear and lacing up boots that may or may not have dried the night before. You’ll help guide your friends Mazda Miata over the rocks on the road out of camp so he doesn’t puncture the oil pan. You’ll get up to the snow patch remembering you forgot to grab that extra salt, but it won’t matter because the sun is shining and all this QP needs is a morning rake. You’ll see Corey Mac hoist the Maiden Boise flag on the deck and know it’s just about ‘that time’. You’ll see him take the opening drop and say to yourself, “Damn! First try?!” You’ll get in line and climb the drop in time, after time, after time…and then you’ll do it again. You’ll see hand plants by Randy Vannurden that you didn’t realize were physically possible! You’ll meet new friends and see them learning a trick you haven’t tried in years. You’ll probably end up dropping in at some point and trying that trick you haven’t done in years, because friends inevitably push eachother. Then, you’ll see your friend do it switch and you’ll be hyped, because progression is awesome! You’ll watch as the grom generation inches their way closer to the top of the lip and know that by next year they’ll probably be airing over you. You’ll take a break just long enough to grab a snack and a beer and see Parker Duke do another trick with flawless style. You’ll see the generation before you drop in and do methods with perfect style, because that’s just how they were done back then. You’ll see a few people dropping in on snowskates and ask yourself how they make it look so easy. You’ll keep riding until your legs won’t let you any more…or it’s time to start tearing down the drop in. ou’ll gladly grab as much garbage as you can stuff into your backpack as possible, even if it isn’t yours, and help get the scaffolding to the trailer before dark.

You’ll get back to camp and kick off those wet boots, not caring where they end up, because you’re not gonna ride on Sunday anyways. You’ll drag wood over to the “big fire” where you’ll wait for the awards to be announced. Before the awards, you’ll see C-Mac take a bit of whiskey and remind you what this event is all about: to party, to have a good time–but not to be a fuckin’ idiot–and always look out for your homies! You’ll cheer in agreement, then hear who won. You’ll probably get something awesome in the raffle, and damn sure you’ll be gettin’ a Team Take Forever koozie. You’ll party in the forest while DJs spin records on turntables in front of a bonfire, and hopefully a calming person will be there to prevent any mixers from seeing the flames. You might even see someone make a failed exit on a small motorcycle. You’ll drink all your beer, then roll back to your tent before sun up. You’ll wake up…earlier than you would if you had partied that hard on a regular Saturday night. You’ll gather round the fire for one last morning and laugh about all the shit that happened the night before. Then you’ll pack up your stuff, you’ll bid your good-byes, and set out for home with a head full of great memories and thinking to yourself, “that weekend was fuckin’ AWESOME!”

Thank you to Corey McDonald and ALL of Carson’s friends who keep making this weekend happen year after year. These DIY events are the best thing happening in snowboarding…hands down.